FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Quarantine Fashion for Plague
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Outline the story …
"The Last Hours" by Minette Walters tells the story of Lady Anne, an impoverished noble in rural England who saves her people from the black death by using - you guessed it - quarantine. Raised in a convent, Anne is taught to be practical and hardworking by the nuns. She possessed a dowry which allowed her to get married at the age of 14. Unfortunately, she married a complete bastard who squanders all her money and destroys everything he touches. The story starts almost 13 years later, when the black death hits England in 1348 and Lady Anne and her servants must find a ways to keep from getting sick as well as starving. Anne's wardrobe is rarely discussed, except that she wares homespun clothes and is sometimes indistinguishable from the servants. Anne is intelligent and practical and despite being a Lady, her clothing reflects the serious and poor circumstances she finds herself in. As she doesn't worry about appearances, I have made her a kirtle that is extremely plain and functional, in keeping with the harsh reality she lives in as well as her practical religious upbringing. Despite never been mentioned, I also wanted to create something a bit grander to show off her real status. Anne would have had a trousseau with some fancier outfits, so I created a modest surcoat, which I like to think she has stored away carefully for those few times a year when she needs to look like the 'Lady of the Manor'.
Outline the construction…
I’m a complete novice! I've done some cross stitching, but my sewing experience boils down to a denim quilt and an ottoman slipcover that was in a word – serviceable However, I saw Cathy's competition video on YouTube and took her words to heart Using YouTube, and both hand and machine sewing, I attempted to make a Kirtle and Surcoat. I probably should have just picked one or the other, but I always bite off more than I can chew! The challenging thing was finding materials! Being broke ass broke - I knew historically accurate materials where out of my reach, so I tried to find convincing alternatives. The kirtle is made out of 2 wool camping blankets and the Surcoat is made from 3 tablecloths from Walmart which is lined with a bed sheet. I realized I would need to compromise my vision to fit these materials. I originally wanted a brighter colour for the kirtle - like red or blue, something more historically accurate. The surcoat would have been made out of brocade, so I tried to "fake it" somewhat with embroidery. Inspired by Cathy's 'Leaf Dress' I attempted to make my own with some dollar store cording and embroidery thread. The Leaf design came right from the cover of the book - which looked historically accurate. The bird motif in the middle was inspired by a piece of real medieval embroidery and the birds themselves are made of felt. Hope you like my first handmade outfit!
I absolutely adore the overdress! These colors together are absolutely -chef’s kiss-
I’m so glad you like the colours! I finished this the night the entries closed, so I had to take photos inside as the sun was setting! I was worried that the colours wouldn’t translate very well in bad lighting, but your comment makes me feels so much better about it! Thanks so much – I really appreciate it!
I’m so impressed with your ingenuity. The kirtle is just right – you’ve really captured the shape. Well done.
Thanks very much! God bless YouTube! 😀
Ingenious, and a lovely result. Best of luck x
AS much as I love the surcoat I think the kirtle is perfection.
If you hadn’t told me about the fabrics provenance, I would never have guessed! Love the ensemble.
I just go with Yanicka – never guessed the fabrics. It looks marvellous.
This looks wonderful and I think you captured the character very nicely.
I love the way you made the outfit. It shows true creativity and flexible thinking. I’m impressed how historically accurate dress and surcoat look. Beautiful embroidery! i would wear it.
Thanks so much! I was very lucky that there are so many skilled makers on YouTube who could show me how to make an accurate kirtle! I would have been completely lost without them!
Beautiful! I love the embroidery on the surcoat. It just makes it that bit more special, without taking away from the simplicity of it.
Oh, it came out absolutely stunning!! I LOVE the embroidery. That is the next thing on my list of things to learn – embroidery. I love this gown, it is absolutely fabulous!!
Thank you so much for your comment! I was worried that it wouldn’t translate very well in photos, so I’m so glad you like it! I had originally planned to embroider the whole surcoat, but at 35mins – 1hour for each leaf, that dream died quickly! 😀
I love this silhouette and your embroidery! Your book sound really interesting! Well done! And great work finishing two garments beautifully!
Your ingenuity sounds like it fit the character well. I love your embroidery as well. Great job
Very nice work! The beadwork is beautiful!
I do like your first outfit, especially the design. Well fitted, well done.
You did a beautiful job! The design is good, and your outfit just works. 🙂 Be proud of yourself. 🙂
Your work is incredible especially considering what you were working with. I am a consummate scrounger, good job with finding materials that would work for your project.
I love a good sideless surcote, I adore effective use of household textiles for historical garments, and I really really love your embroidery!
The kirtle is a beautiful. I think that the dark green would have been very apt and serviceable and suits you well.
This is awesome! I love this. That embroidery is very nice! This is one of my favorites! Thank you!
Fantastic job! I especially love the surcoat but they’re both wonderful pieces!
Love your resourcefulness! I would never have known otherwise – up-cycling all the way! This is a great design and interpretation too. I love Minette Walters and even though I haven’t read this one I know her character styles well enough to see your interpretation.
The embroidery and birds look so good!
You did an amazing job with this! Beautiful embroidery and construction